This Piercing Could Be the Cure for Your Migraines

If you're one of the 38 million Americans who experience migraines, you likely know how bad it can get. And if you're one of the people who has tried everything from medication to dietary changes to aromatherapy with no sign of relief, there may be one unconventional route you should consider: Daith piercing. Why? Many sufferers are touting it as a migraine-fixing miracle.

Not familiar with Daith piercing? It's when you pierce the ear's inner cartilage — a spot that some piercing enthusiasts are claiming has had a really positive effect on their migraines. Check out these testimonials:

This not-so-conventional "treatment" is also coming to the attention of the medical community. Dr. Thomas Cohn, an interventional pain doctor in Minnesota, recently discussed Daith piercings on his blog. "Some people who have received a Daith piercing have coincidentally found improvement with their migraine headaches," he wrote. "The correlation is based on the success for some people with acupuncture in the same region of the Daith piercing."

However, Dr. Cohn did admit you should take this remedy with a grain of salt. While he says that "it may be worthwhile to consider getting this spot pierced" given the under-$100 price tag and particularly if you already enjoy piercings, there have been no formal studies conducted on the practice. So you can't really assume it's a one-size-fits-all solution.

Dr. Daniel Ahoubim, board certified neurologist and founder of Refined Aesthetics, takes it a step further. "There are no meridian points that acupuncturists utilize for migraine headaches in the ear. I haven't heard of such a treatment and, scientifically, I don't see a link," he argues.

Regardless of whether you decide to get pierced in an attempt to relieve your headaches or simply for aesthetic purposes, just make sure you get your piercing done by a reputable, experienced professional — doing this yourself (or having it done at the mall) is definitely not the route you want to take.

Sam EscobarContributorSam's enthusiasm for makeup is only rivaled by their love of all things relating to cats.

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